FEAST OR FAMINE

Young Once (1981, this version 2016) is set in the countryside in eastern France in 1980 and Paris in 1964. It is 22 June 1964, the day before Odile Memling’s 35th birthday, and the last day of the kid’s camp business she owns near the Swiss alps with her husband. Her husband, Louis, will be 35 in July.   They have operated the business for 13 years, and have two children. But it’s time to close the business and embark on something new. They may turn their chalet into a restaurant and tea house. Viterdo, Martine and their three children, from Paris, are with the Memlings to celebrate Odile’s birthday. So too is Allard, the elderly local sports store owner. As one period in the life of Louis and Odile ends, they both turn their thoughts to Paris in December 1964 when they were nineteen – young once. Louis was ending his two-year military service and thinking of starting a business, and Odile was an aspiring singer. Both young, and contemplating their future. ...

In Snake Park, Nairobi, an American alligator in Kenya, is kept apart from the Nile crocodile. That’s because alligators live in freshwater and crocodiles live in saltwater. The American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis ) is native to eastern regions of America, as well as in South America. It is a large black alligator that grows up to 4.3 metres (14 feet) long and weighs up to 455 kilograms (1,000 pounds). The female alligator lays about 35-40 eggs, which hatch in 65-70 days. Baby alligators eat insects, tadpoles, and frogs, and adult alligators eat fish, birds, and small animals. It is a protected reptile species. Alligators are different from crocodiles – alligators have U-shaped snouts, whereas crocodiles have long thin V-shaped snouts. Alligators do not show their teeth when their mouths are closed, whereas crocodiles have exposed teeth. Alligators are black and darker than crocodiles, which are olive brown or grey. Alligators are native only to t...

The crocodile of the Nile river is a protected reptile species although common to the rivers, swamps, dams, and lakes of countries in eastern Africa. However, it is absent from the high altitude lakes of the Rift Valley in Kenya. The Nile Crocodile ( Crocodilus niloticus ) is a large brown or grey crocodile that grows up to 5 metres (16 feet) long and weighs up to 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds). The female crocodile (cow) lays white hard-shelled eggs in a nest, and guards them until they hatch. Baby Nile crocodiles eat insects and frogs, while adult crocodiles eat fish, turtles, birds, and mammals. Crocodiles are different from alligators – crocodiles have long thin V-shaped snouts (noses), whereas alligators have U-shaped snouts. Crocodiles have exposed teeth, whereas alligators do not show their teeth when their mouths are closed. Crocodiles lay their eggs in nests and alligators lay their eggs in mounds. MARTINA NICOLLS is an internatio...

Some of the deadly African snakes at Snake Park in Nairobi, Kenya, include the Black Necked Spitting Cobra, the Black Mamba, the Green Mamba, and the Puff Adder. The Black Necked Spitting Cobra ( Naja nigricollis ) is glossy black and grows up to 2.7 metres (9 feet) long. It lives along the coast and in semi-desert lands. It eats toads, chicken eggs, lizards, and other snakes. It lays from 8-20 eggs per clutch. It is venomous – its venom is cytotoxic (poisonous to cells) and neurotoxic (poisonous to the nervous system). The Black Mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis ) is a long slender olive, brown, or grey snake, growing up to 3.2 metres (10.5 feet) long. It likes high bushlands at about 1600 metres (5249 feet) above sea level. It is a very fast moving snake that can climb trees. It is active during the day (diurnal). It eats mice, rats, bats, elephant shrews, squirrels, birds, and other snakes. It lays 6-17 eggs per clutch. The Black Mamba is both neurotoxic and cardiot...